Matt Carstens keeping it real and living on the road

If you’ve been studying at Stellenbosch University (SU) since last year, you may have seen singer/songwriter, Matt
Carstens, somewhere on campus.

However, from now on you might be hearing him more than you see him.

Matt studied BA Language and Culture at SU last year, but as his growing music career has kept him “living on the road”, he has had to discontinue his studies here. He is planning on touring in Gauteng, Innibos, Mozambique and the United Kingdom this year.

Matt’s love for music started with listening to his parents play what he calls “really good music” around the
house.

“I have been singing along since I was, I don’t know, born,” he said.

Matt started playing guitar when he was twelve and by the age of fourteen he had his first gig.

Since then he has opened for various South African artists including Majozi, Spoegwolf and Lianie May.

Matt won the Redbull Francois Van Coke Collaboration last year and was therefore able to team up with Francois
van Coke to produce their recent hit single “Broken Society”.

Matt also won RockRemoer’s battle of the bands at Innibos last year when he teamed up with Black Cat
Bones’ drummer, Jason Hinge, and base player, Jaco Mans.

One of the prizes of the RockRemoer competition was the opportunity to make a music video.

Matt used this to make the music video for “Broken Society”. “Broken Society” has reached second place on PUKfm’s Local Top Ten.

Matt, however, does not like competitions.

All of Matt’s lyrics tell of his personal life experiences and he feels that the sudden fame that can come with
winning a competition can make it difficult to keep things real.

“You have to struggle,” Matt explained, “because it motivates you to improve.”

Matt’s first album, 2D Heart, which was released in April last year, is what he called his “soppy love album”.

“I was very naïve and obsessed with the concept of love,” he confessed.

His next album, however, will be “a bit more real” and will contain some explicit content. “I’ve always
wanted that little Parental Advisory sticker on my album,” Matt quipped.

In the future, Matt plans to “play at as many gigs as possible, write as many songs as possible and tour”.